Senior Education Accountant (Multi-Site Budgeting & Audit)

Cathedral Appointments; Devon and Torbay; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

Cathedral Appointments is recruiting on behalf of a well-established education organisation based in Plymouth, seeking an experienced Accountant to join their Finance Team on a temporary basis until December 2026.

The role focuses on month-end reporting, budgeting and audit activity, partnering with operational leaders across a multi-site trust. The position offers an on-site role with a daily rate of £300 DOE and opportunities to contribute to financial planning and controls.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent).
• Experience within education finance, ideally within a multi-academy trust or school environment.
• Proven experience supporting annual audit activity and maintaining strong financial controls.
• Confident managing monthly budgeting, forecasting and variance reporting across multiple sites.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to build strong relationships with non-finance colleagues.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior finance support across the trust, partnering with operational leaders across a multi-site organisation.
• Manage month-end reporting and management accounts, alongside budgeting, forecasting and cash-flow reporting.
• Support capital project financial planning and investment decisions.
• Ensure compliance with internal financial controls and audit requirements.
• Support payroll, grant funding and budget monitoring, deputising for the Finance Manager when required.
• Manage departmental budgets and forecasting, producing financial analysis and variance reporting for senior stakeholders.

Skills

Month-end reporting

Budgeting

Forecasting

Variance analysis

Excellent communication

Multi-site coordination

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA or equivalent

Job description

Cathedral Appointments is recruiting on behalf of a well-established education organisation based in Plymouth, seeking an experienced Accountant to join their Finance Team on a temporary basis until December 2026.

The role focuses on month-end reporting, budgeting and audit activity, partnering with operational leaders across a multi-site trust. The position offers an on-site role with a daily rate of £300 DOE and opportunities to contribute to financial planning and controls.